Nancy Regan saying her last goodbye to her husband President Ronald Reagan in 2004. Mrs. Reagan will be buried at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, next to her husband, Ronald Wilson Reagan, who died on June 5, 2004. To prepare for her funeral, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, located at 40 Presidential Drive in Simi Valley, California is closed, and will re-open to the public on Sunday, March 13, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. (File photo, Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.)

Simi Valley, Calif. – “What do you say about someone who gives your life meaning? What do you say about someone who’s always there with support and understanding, someone who makes sacrifices so that your life will be easier and more successful? Well, what you say is that you love that person and treasure her. I simply can’t imagine the last 8 years without Nancy.” - Ronald Reagan, August 1988

As First Lady of the United States, Nancy Reagan served the people of this great nation with grace and humility. She has been an inspiration to all of us who worked for her at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and she will be deeply missed. The Reagan family, our Foundation and this country have lost a treasured soul.

Mrs. Reagan will be buried at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, next to her husband, Ronald Wilson Reagan, who died on June 5, 2004. To prepare for her funeral, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, located at 40 Presidential Drive in Simi Valley, California is closed, and will re-open to the public on Sunday, March 13, 2016 at 10:00 a.m.

As part of the official events, Mrs. Reagan will lie in repose at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Wednesday, March 9th from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and also on Thursday, March 10thfrom 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. No parking will be allowed at the Reagan Library. If you wish to pay your respects to Mrs. Reagan, transportation will be provided for the public at the former Bank of America property located at 450 American Street, Simi Valley, California. Shuttles will run continuously to the Reagan Library throughout those hours. Because security will be heightened at the Library during this time, no large bags or cameras will be permitted and all bags will be inspected. Strollers will not be allowed inside the building. Gifts and flowers will only be accepted at the bottom of Presidential Drive and at the shuttle pick up location.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, March 11, 2016. Funeral services are closed to the public.

In lieu of flowers, Mrs. Reagan had asked that contributions be made to the Ronald Reagan Memorial Fund at www.reaganlibrary.com.

For continuous updated information on the week’s events, please visit the Reagan Library’s web site at www.reaganlibrary.com.

Los Angeles, Calif. - Nancy Davis Reagan, former First Lady of the United States, died this morning at her home in Los Angeles at the age of 94. The cause of death was congestive heart failure.

Mrs. Reagan will be buried at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, next to her husband, Ronald Wilson Reagan, who died on June 5, 2004. Prior to the funeral service, there will be an opportunity for members of the public to pay their respects at the Library. Details will be announced shortly.

In lieu of flowers, Mrs. Reagan requested that contributions be made to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Foundation at www.reaganlibrary.com.

For continuous information on the week’s events, please visit the Reagan Library’s web site atwww.reaganlibrary.com.

A biography of Nancy Reagan is below.

Office of Nancy Reagan

Nancy Davis Reagan

July 6, 1921 - March 6, 2016

Nancy Davis Reagan was born on July 6, 1921, in New York City. Raised in Chicago, she graduated from Girls’ Latin School and went on to Smith College, Northampton, Mass., where she graduated in 1943.

In her early career, Nancy Davis worked as an actress in stage, film and television productions. In 1949, she signed a seven-year contract with MGM. During this time, she met Ronald Reagan and they were married on March 4, 1952. She made eleven films in all, including three after her marriage. Her last film, at Columbia in 1956, was Hellcats of the Navy, the only film in which she and her husband appeared together.

Shortly after Ronald Reagan became Governor of California in 1967, Mrs. Reagan began visiting wounded Vietnam veterans and became active in projects concerning POWs and servicemen missing in action. While First Lady of California, she made regular visits to hospitals and homes for the elderly, as well as schools for physically and emotionally handicapped children. During one of these hospital visits in 1967, she observed participants in the Foster Grandparent Program, a program which brings together senior citizens and handicapped children, and she soon became its champion. Later, as First Lady of the United States, Mrs. Reagan continued to help expand the program on a national level and promote private funding in local communities.

Upon becoming First Lady of the United States, Mrs. Reagan’s primary focus was fighting drug and alcohol abuse among youth. To spotlight the problem, she traveled nearly 250,000 miles throughout the United States and abroad in conjunction with her campaign to fight substance abuse. She appeared on television talk shows, taped public service announcements, wrote guest articles, and visited prevention programs and rehabilitation centers to talk with young people and their parents.

After leaving the White House on January 20, 1989, Mrs. Reagan established the Nancy Reagan Foundation to continue her campaign to educate people about the serious dangers of substance abuse. In 1994, the Nancy Reagan Foundation joined forces with the BEST Foundation For A Drug-Free Tomorrow and developed the Nancy Reagan After-school Program, a drug prevention and life-skills program for youth.

For ten years, Mrs. Reagan’s priority was caring for her husband at home as he battled Alzheimer’s Disease. Following his death in 2004, she was devoted to projects related to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, where she served on the board of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, and promoted her husband’s legacy of leadership and freedom.

Nancy Davis Reagan was the only daughter of Dr. Loyal Davis and Edith Davis of Chicago and Phoenix. She is survived by her brother, Dr. Richard Davis, and two children with Ronald Reagan – Patti Davis and Ronald Prescott Reagan, along with numerous nieces and nephews.

(SIMI VALLEY, Calif.) -“And I think there’s no further piece of good examples and relevancy to what this institution means and can mean, will continue to mean of building on the legacy of President Reagan than what has occurred here today in the confines of this building, bringing together some of the leading, most thoughtful individuals in our defense establishment, from Congress, from industry, from Department of Defense. So thank you all for what you continue to do and those who – once again, who helped put this together. This is an extraordinary effort.”
– United States Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, during closing remarks at the 2013 Reagan National Defense Forum

Last November the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library brought together leaders and key stakeholders in the defense community – including members of Congress, civilian officials and military leaders from the Defense Department and industry – to address the health of our national defense and to stimulate a discussion that promotes policies that strengthen the United States military into the future. Due to the overwhelming success of that event, the Reagan Foundation is honored to announce that the second annual Reagan National Defense Forum will be held on November 15, 2014.

“Ronnie’s proudest moments as President involved the men and women who wear the uniform of our country and defend us around the world every day,” said former first lady Nancy Reagan. “He would have been so pleased to know that his presidential library is now hosting important and relevant events like these defense forums so that we can give those men and women the best support on every level that we can.”

During last year’s keynote, General Dempsey remarked, “If we have the will, we can come to 2025 maintaining peace through strength with a military that is dominant, decisive and agile. The question for all of us is, will we? And if you think we won’t, are we prepared to accept a lesser U.S. leadership role globally with all that entails?” At this year’s Reagan National Defense Forum, Chairman Dempsey will deliver the luncheon keynote address again and will continue to discuss our nation’s military capacity, now and into the future.

In addition to the keynote address, multiple panels will be held throughout the day, a few of which include “Reforming How the Pentagon Does Business: What Does it Take to Roll Back the Red Tape?”, Cyberwar: The Role of Cyber in 21st Century Warfare,” and “Defense After the Election: How Will Midterm Elections and the Start of the Presidential Primaries Impact National Defense?”

“No task was closer to President Reagan’s heart or more consistently on his mind than ensuring the unquestionable indomitability of America’s military – the greatest force for peace the world had ever known,” said Frederick J. Ryan, Jr., Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. “It’s our honor to be able to reconvene this remarkable group of thought leaders to share their strategies for peace through strength in our second annual Reagan National Defense Forum.”

To view the forum live streaming visit: http://www.reaganfoundation.org/live-webcasts.aspx

The registration fee for the conference is $249 per person and includes free admission into the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum and Air Force One Pavilion. A special “Early Bird” registration is available through August 31, 2014, at the reduced rate of $199 per person. Active military, government personnel and students are $149 per person. Registration details and more information on the conference can be found at www.reaganfoundation.org/defense.

Following the day’s panels, the evening will conclude with the presentation of the second annual Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Award. This year’s recipients are Senator John McCain and Secretary Leon Panetta. The Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Award recognizes the exemplary dedication and service of individuals in the defense of the United States and its people. The evening award presentation is not a part of the Reagan National Defense Forum conference. As such, ticket holders to the daytime Forum will not also be a part of the award presentations.

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the legacy of Ronald Reagan and his timeless principles of individual liberty, economic opportunity, global democracy, and national pride. It sustains the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, the Reagan Center for Public Affairs, the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Presidential Learning Center and The Air Force One Pavilion. Located in Simi Valley, California the Library houses 63 million pages of Gubernatorial, Presidential and personal papers and over 60,000 gifts and artifacts chronicling the lives of Ronald and Nancy Reagan. It now also serves as the final resting place of America’s 40th President. www.reaganfoundation.org

Discover the Rarest and Most Iconic
Baseball Artifacts in “Baseball! The Exhibition”

At the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum Presidential Foundation. April 4 – September 4, 2014

(SIMI VALLEY, Calif.)Just in time for the opening week of Major League Baseball, Baseball! The Exhibition opens April 4, 2014 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. Running through September 4, 2014, Baseball is a 12,000 square foot exhibition featuring over 700 artifacts, including some of the rarest, historic and iconic baseball memorabilia from the largest known private collector in the U.S. The exhibit displays extraordinary artifacts from Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Jackie Robinson, the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers, and scores of other historically

Babe Ruth's signature baseball bat will be one of many artifacts on display at the Reagan Library's Baseball! The Exhibition” April 4, 2014 through September 4, 2014.

important players and organizations. Also featured will be rare artifacts related to Ronald Reagan and baseball from his days calling Chicago Cubs games, to signed balls and jerseys he received while President.

“I really do love baseball and I wish we could do this out on the lawn every day,” President Reagan remarked on May 11, 1983 on the South Lawn as part of a White House Ceremony observing National Amateur Baseball Month. “I wouldn’t even complain if a stray ball came through the Oval Office window now and then.”

“Nothing is more American than baseball,” said John Heubusch, executive director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. “Baseball fans of all ages are going to be astounded by the array of iconic baseball pieces on display. ‘Baseball the Exhibition’ is the perfect way to spend an afternoon with family, friends, and fellow baseball fans.”

The exhibition celebrates the great American pastime of baseball by showcasing the glory days of baseball from the first balls, bats, gloves and uniforms ever used, to bringing together the most iconic pieces of baseball history, such as Joe DiMaggio’s record-setting ball that drove his 56 game hitting streak and Babe Ruth’s 1939 uniform from when he coached the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Featured items on display in Baseball! The Exhibition include:

An exhibit dedicated to Babe Ruth, which will display his traveling trunk, including his 1939 uniform while coaching the Brooklyn Dodgers, his baseball bat and his famous fur coat

A Honus Wagner trading card – the rarest and most valuable of all baseball cards

Baseball hit by Barry Bonds (the homerun ball that tied Hank Aaron’s record), as well as a Hank Aaron-signed ball

Baseballs from Joe DiMaggio, including his record-setting ball that drove his 56 game hitting streak as well as the ball that ended the streak

Baseball signed by Pete Rose that broke Ty Cobb’s all-time hitting record

A special section featuring the history of the Brooklyn Dodgers and their legacy in Los Angeles

Some of the first historic bats, balls, gloves, uniforms, stadium items and folk art related to the sport as well as an unmatched collection of rare baseball cards and photographs of all the astonishing athletes who played the game

‘NANCY REAGAN – A FIRST LADY’S STYLE GOES ON DISPLAY AT THE RONALD REAGAN PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY and MUSEUM

By Margie Anne Clark

SIMI VALLEY – Like a late 20th Century vignette of Camelot, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum opened a new exhibit, Nancy Reagan – A First Lady’s Style on November 10 in Simi Valley.The exhibit showcases more than 50 years of Nancy Reagan’s fashion, beginning with her 1952 wedding dress and concluding with the suit she wore for President Reagan’s funeral in June 2004.In recounting the Reagan story – starring two star-crossed lovers whose biggest double-billing played out on the world stage for all to see – Russ Jenkins, exhibit designer and owner of WRJ Design Associates LLC was on hand to give visitors an early glimpse of Nancy’s collection.“She was a tremendous example of a first lady,” Jenkins said as he thumbed through the pages of a pictorial book that is currently available for purchase at the Library. The colorful book puts into context many of the fashions that will be on display for the duration of the exhibit which runs through Nov. 10, 2008.“The public will be able to see the beauty of her gowns that she wore during their travels and wonderful dinners,” explained Jenkins, of Nancy’s carefully preserved and donated cache of Tulle, satin, gabardine and lace. “The dresses are absolutely spectacular and show the history and legacy of Mrs. Reagan,” he added.If fashion can be defined as a universal language of who we are and where we are going, then Nancy Reagan spoke it fluently – and with a radiance and grace that defined a presidential legacy. Indeed, Nancy’s timeless style during the Reagan years of the 1980s may well have served as an elegant reflection of her husband’s magnanimous optimism. “We are creating a nation once again vibrant, robust, and alive,” President Ronald Reagan once said during his second inaugural address on Jan. 21, 1985. Through it all, polished and poised, Nancy – whose charming allure never ceased to captivate her iconic husband throughout their 52- year marriage – was always by his side. Jenkins’ WRJ Design Associates LLC, is a New York firm that specializes in exhibition design. Jenkins explained that Imagery and architectural elements resembling the White House will carry the audience through the exhibit and highlight milestones of history. The exhibit will focus on Nancy’s duties as first lady, her philanthropic endeavors and the love story that she and the president shared. The glamorous and often poignant exhibit opened amidst a celebrity-studded private gala reception on Nov. 8 in Simi Valley. Diane von Furstenberg served as master of ceremonies appearing with such luminaries as James Galanos, Carolina Herrera and Oscar de la Renta. Jenkins noted that the first lady’s collection includes pieces by Galanos, Herrera, de la Renta, Geoffrey Beene, Bill Blass, Valentino Garavani, Adolfo and Yves Saint Laurent. “Through her generosity in donating most of her closet, Mrs. Reagan has given us a wonderful opportunity to understand her role of representing our country. She was a tremendous first lady,” Jenkins said. “The display also showcases the incredible talent of the American fashion designer, while reflecting Mrs. Reagan’s taste of eye for style,” Jenkins said, noting that in 1988, the Council of Fashion Designers of America bestowed its Lifetime Achievement Award upon Nancy Reagan. In a written statement, the former first lady and actress, who went on to become an icon of American couture fashion at its finest, expressed her gratitude for the privileges she enjoyed during her White House years. “I am delighted that these designers are being recognized for their incredible talent. It was an honor to wear each of these pieces, and every gown, dress and suit brings back wonderful memories; moments in my life that I will remember and cherish forever.”